Mechanism for replacing endless belts



May 18, 1954 J. BRYER 2,678,565

MECHAN-ISM FOR R-EPLACING ENDLESS BELTS Filed Dec, 11`y 1951 5Sheets-Sheet l May 18, 1954 J. BRYER 2,678,565 MECHANISM FOR REPLACINGENDLEss BELTS Filed bec. 11, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 18, 1954 .1.BRYYER 2,678,565 MECHANISM FOR REPLACING ENDLEss BELTS Filed Dec. l1,v1951 3 Sheet$-Sheet 3 Patented May 18, "1954 LA'I'ENT OFFICE MECHANISMFOR REPLACING ENDLESS BELTS Jack Bl'yer, New York, N. Y., assignor to R.Hoe & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of- New York ApplicationDecember 11, 1951, Serial No. 261,019

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in belt drives, and morespecifically to means for changing the belts in such drives.

In many belt and pulley drive structures, the supporting and drivingmechanism for the pulley shafts makes it impossible to replace a beltwithout cutting and splicing or, alternatively, without dismantling agood part of the structure in order to furnish access to an open shaftend. It is the general object of the present invention to make provisionfor replacing endless belts while still providing all necessary shaftsupporting and driving mechanism for the various pulley shafts involvedin the drive.

With this general object aswell as others which will appear in thefollowing description in mind, the invention consists in thecombinations and arrangements of parts and details of construction whichwill now first be fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawing and then be more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an end elevation View of a mechanism embodying the inventionin a preferred form;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the mechanism of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevation, on an enlarged scale, andshowing the frame structure of Figure 1, making provision for placementof a belt on a shaft;

Figure 4 is a perspective, on the same scale as Figure 3, and showing abushing which ts in the frame structure shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an end elevation showing the bushing, shaft and bearing inplace in the frame structure of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a section on line 'I-l of Figure 5, and

Figures 8 to 12 are floated diagrammatic perspectives showing the mannerof belt insertion.

The invention is disclosed as applied to a belt tensioning and speed upmechanism for web rolls, such as used in supplying paper to printing vpresses and is illustrated with reference to a mechanism of this type,such as shown in prior Lundquist et al. Patent 2,155,430. In thedrawing, there is shown only so much of the mechanism as is relevant tothe present invention. There is indicated in Figure 1, at I3, part ofthe periphery of a web roll, the speeding up and tensioning control ofwhich is effected by means of belts I I. These belts (omitted in Figure2) pass around pulleys I2 keyed to a drive shaft I3, around pulleys I 4rotating freely on. a shaft I5 and around pulleys I6 rotatably carriedat one end of arms I1, which, in turn, are pivotally mounted at I8 onarms I9, which, in turn, are pivotally carried by the shaft I5. Springs24D fixed at one end to collars 2| keyed to the shaft I5 and at theother to collars 22 fixed to the arms I9 are utilized to counterbalancethe weight of the arms I9 and the parts carried thereby. The belttension is maintained by springs 23 attached to the upper ends of armsI'I, as indicated.

xShaft I3 which drives the belts at a speed slightly below that of theunwinding web, is connected through gearing 24 to a drive shaft 25connected to the press or other drive in any convenient manner, and theangular position of shaft I5 is adjusted by a tension control motor 25,which varies the angular position of the shaft I5 through gearing 2l.The tension control motor thus controls the angular position of the armsI9, to vary the pressure of the belts II on the roll periphery I 0. asrequired to maintain web tension.

At the opposite ends of shafts I3 and I5 from the respective gearing 24and 2l, there is provided a special bearing support arrangement 28 topermit insertion and removal of the belts. This arrangement is the samefor the two shafts and only the arrangement for shaft I3 will bedescribed in detail.

The shafts i3 and I5 are supported from an upper frame member 33 bymeans of' a bracket or rail 3| attached to the underside of the framemember and supporting the shafting. The bearings adjacent the drivegearing 24 and 2l may be of any conventional desired form, whilethe beltreplacing bearings 23 are of the construction shown in Figures 3 andfollowing. As there shown, the rail or bracket 3| is formed with a keyhole shaped opening including a cylindrical portion 32 extending throughabout 270 of arc and a lateral opening 33 to one side thereof. A.'bushing 35 is carried in the cylindrical part 32 of the opening, beingheld therein axially of the shaft I3 by means of flange 36 and a coverplate 3l fastened to the bushing by screws 38. Screws 39 provide forholding the bushing in xed angular position, as desired. 'I'he ange 36is provided with sockets '40 to take a bar for turning the bushing forthe purposes as described below. The ange 35, the body of the bushing 35and the cover plate 3l are grooved to form an opening fil, corespondingto the lateral opening 33 in the frame, and extending radially inward ofthe bushing so as to provide a space for accommodating a belt Il withinthe opening or recess 4I between the bushing and the wall of thecylindrical opening or seat 32 in any rotary position of the bushing.The end of shaft I3 is supported in bushing 35 by means of antifrictionbearing 42, the inner race of which is held in position axially of theshaft by washer 43 secured to the shaft end. It will be understood thatthe shaft I3 is held in position axially by any suitable and usualarrangement at the oposite or drive end of the shaft.

When it is desired to change a belt, the worn belt may either be cut andremoved, or removed without cutting by a reversal of the insertingprocedure now to be described, as preferred.

The screws 39 are first removed to permit turning of the bushing 35. Thenew belt is then inserted through opening 33 in the manner indicated inFigures rI and 8, one course of the belt being placed within the grooveor opening 4I in the bushing 35, and the other course being in theopening 33 of the rail 3|. A bar is now inserted in an accessible socketlili in the bushing iiange 3S and the bushing is turned to carry thecourse of the belt that is in the opening 4I completely around the shaftI3. I

Figure 9 shows the position of the bushing and the belt when they havebeen turned through 120, and it will be observed that the belt coursewhich is in the recess 4I has been carried around within the wall of theopening 32 so the far end loop of the belt lies crosswise of the shaftvI3.

Continuation of the turning movement 120 further, carries the bushing tothe position shown in Figure 10, with the belt partly around thebushing, and the near loop of the belt past the end of the shaft. Italso produces a partial twist in the belt as shown. Further movement ofthe bushing turns the belt completely over when the turn is'completed bythe opening 4I reaching the recess 33. As shown in Figure 1l, the belthas been partially untwisted after the turning, and by then pulling thebelt entirely through the recess 33, it will surround the shaft at apoint inside the bushing as shown in Figure 12. The belt may then bepassed along to Vthe other end of the shaft.

The belt having reached the far end of shaft I3, a loop is insertedthrough opening 33 in the bearing structure at the far end of shaft I5and a procedure the same as just described with reference to shaft I3 isthere carried through. The belt will then encircle both shafts I3 and I5and may be brought back and placed around the pulleys in drivingrelation thereto. It will be observed that if there is no web rollperiphery I0 in position, the generally triangular pulley constructionmay be collapsed sufficiently by rotating the arms IS downwardly so asto permit this.

The bushings 35 may now again be fastened in the position of Figure 5 bymeans of the screws 39.

What is claimed is:

1. In a belt and pulley drive, mechanism for supporting a shaft endwhile making provision for placing an endlessV belt around the shaft,comprising a bushing for suporting a shaft end, and a frame elementsurrounding and having a seat rotatably supporting the bushing, thebushing having a recess for accommodating a belt course between thebushing and the seat in any angular position of the bushing, and theframe element having an opening into the seat for accommodating a beltand permitting insertion of a course thereof in the recess of thebushing. Y

2. In a belt and pulley drive, mechanism according to claim 1, for anend of each of two shafts for placing an endless belt around the twoshafts.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

